Jaded Eyes
by xxShatteredSoulxx
Summary: AU, Fantasy. "I will not hesitate to kill you then." "Neither will I, rebel."


**A/N:****So ****I ****wrote ****this ****story ****for ****my ****Creative ****Writing ****class ****a ****few ****weeks ****ago ****and ****decided ****(after ****some ****revisions) ****to ****post ****it ****on ****here. ****I ****based the ****characters ****off ****of ****Baka ****and ****Test ****and ****gave ****them ****the ****names ****of ****the ****character ****they ****represent. ****Except ****Kouta, ****he's ****at ****the ****end, ****but ****I ****never ****mention ****his ****name...Ah, ****well! ****You'll ****probably ****be ****able ****to ****figure ****it ****out ****anyway. ****Enjoy!**

**Warning: ****AU, ****blood, ****gore, ****war, ****etc...**

**Flames ****will ****be ****laughed ****at ****and ****constructive ****criticism ****is ****appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: ****Recognize ****anything? ****Yeah, ****I ****don't ****own ****it.**

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><p><strong>Jaded Eyes<strong>

The grass was stained with the blood and sweat of humans and magical creatures alike. The throaty roars of goblins, trolls, and ogres clashed against the prideful war cries of the humans and their allies as the two sides fought for dominance on the battlefield. The Rebel Union was winning as some of the weaker imps and goblins fled for their lives. It wasn't long before the last of the Shadow Alliance retreated to the dark woods of the Skygge Mountains, leaving their dead to rot on the bloodstained valley.

Cheers of victory rose up amongst the Rebels, though they were short-lived as the faeries flew in from the main camp to help the injured. Many of the warriors helped to carry the bodies of their deceased comrades for proper burial while others searched for survivors.

Several hours later, the surviving rebels relaxed after their victory around several campfires at their main camp. Various faeries flitted about; some serving food to the injured while others danced with the giggling nymphs to the soft music the satyrs were playing. Men were challenging centaurs to drinking games while the dwarves and the elves shared stories and laughter like old friends.

One elf was sitting next to a small fire with a blade on her lap. She had long red hair wrapped up in a ponytail and emerald green eyes, common traits of an elf of her kind. She was just standing up after cleaning her blade when she was approached by an excited satyr that had dragged an uncomfortable-looking nymph along with him.

"Heeey, Minami!" the satyr slurred drunkenly with one arm around the nymph and the other holding a bottle of questionable content. "We really kickeded thorse dirty Shadeses' asses today, huh?" He giggled as he tilted his head back to take a gulp from the bottle and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The nymph was able to slip out from under the inebriated satyr's arm as he slumped to the ground and began to snore in a drunken sleep.

The elven warrior wrinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol and sighed, "How much did Aki drink this time, Hideyoshi?" she questioned the nymph.

"I'm not too sure," the nymph replied sheepishly, "He was already trying to flirt with a rock by the time I found him. I was trying to get him to his tent, but he saw you and decided to drag me over here instead." Hideyoshi shook his head wearily as he looked down at his friend slumbering on the ground. "I'd better get him in bed before Yuuji shows up and tries to tie him up in a tree again." The nymph bent down, slung Aki's arm around his shoulder, and managed to lift him up in a standing position before proceeding to stumble in the direction of the tents.

Minami looked sympathetic as she said, "Good luck, Hideyoshi. I'll see you tomorrow." The nymph gave a half-hearted wave as he continued to haul his friend to his bed.

The elf turned her back to her friends once more before proceeding to walk to the edge of the woods. She almost made it before she heard someone call out her name again. She mentally prayed that they weren't drunk as she turned to greet them.

It was the human, Yuuji, who called her name as he made his way over to her. Minami was relieved to notice that his steps were steady and she could smell no alcohol on him as he got closer.

"Where are you going?" he asked when he was close enough to hear her answer. "Shouko's looking for you. She said something about keeping Himeji away from the cooking fires." He tilted his head and crossed his arms as he waited for her to speak.

"Oh, don't tell Shouko you found me, please." Minami begged, "I'm just going to one of the quieter streams so I can wash off all this disgusting Shade blood." Her fair, dirt-streaked face wrinkled in annoyance as she looked down at the brown-black blood splattered across her armor and body. She looked back up at the man. "And I _really_ don't want to deal with her Royal Bitchiness, Himeji." She rolled her eyes as she said that last part.

Yuuji chuckled, "I understand, but I only came looking for you to get away from Shouko, so don't expect me to go back and report that I couldn't find you." Minami knew he wasn't joking; it was common knowledge that Shouko considered the two of them to be a couple while Yuuji avoided the "demon woman", as he called her, at all costs.

Minami let out a tinkling giggle, "Alright, but when she catches you, be sure not to give me away!" She was already turning and walking away before he had a chance to react to her statement. The elf heard a peeved voice call out, "What do you mean, 'when'?" from the man before he threw his hands up and walked off grumbling to himself.

Minami laughed to herself as she wandered deeper into the woods in search of a place to bathe. She kept her senses sharp as she watched for enemies or drunken idiots that thought they could follow her and get a glimpse of her naked body. Her ears perked at the sound of gently running water and she quickened her pace, anxious to wash the sickening smell of death from her body.

The water was sparkling in the bright moonlight and the glowing moss around the banks gave the stream a magical quality. Fireflies were flying lazily about, adding to the calm and beauty that surrounded the elf. After checking behind her for anyone who may have followed, Minami began to peel off her heavy outer layers of armor. Relieved to be free of the weight of the metal clothing, she began to take off her tunic when she caught movement in the corner of her eye.

Minami froze in mid-action as she focused on the dark shape down the stream from her. After deciding that the figure hadn't spotted her, she slowly ducked down behind the brush and peered through the branches. The moon was covered with a small cloud, but it gave off enough light to determine that the creature was humanoid and obviously injured as it lightly limped to the soft bank of the stream mere yards away from the elf.

Minami slowly reached for her dagger, using her aura to ask the plants to quiet her movements. Her eyes never left the stranger as it carefully brought its hands to the stream, soaked a piece of cloth, and brought it to its injured leg. Just as her fingers curled around the hilt of her dagger, the moon was uncovered and light filled the surrounding area. She froze once more as she got a better look at the strange creature by the water.

Light leather armor dyed black encased a medium-sized torso and a black mask covered half of the stranger's face, but it was easy to see that it was a male from the build of the body. He wore black leggings with a large rip on the side where a gruesome gash gushed bright red blood onto the glowing moss. His black hair was tinted blue in the moonlight and held back by a thick, black headband that covered his ears. But it was his face that shocked her.

She couldn't see his eyes because of the angle of his head, but she could easily see his high cheek bones and strong jaw. He looked quite handsome, she admitted to herself, but quickly took the thought back as she caught sight of a raven clutching a sword marked on his hand. That was the symbol of the Shadows. She narrowed her eyes and brought her dagger closer to her. She cautiously lifted her body into a crouching position and prepared herself to attack. Just as she had made it to her feet, a small _crack_.

She silently cursed herself as the stranger's head shot up in alarm. She stayed perfectly still even as the stranger carefully and silently got to his feet and looked in her direction. The moon was on his back, so she couldn't see his face, but she was sure he was looking almost right at her. Minami was barely able to hold back a gasp as he suddenly vanished.

She kept her eyes sharp and ready for the slightest of movements that would give the other away, but saw nothing. It wasn't until she barely shifted that she realized there was a knife at her throat and a warm body behind her. She couldn't hold her gasp in this time as she stiffened in shock.

"Don't move and I won't hurt you," she heard a quiet voice in her ear as the stranger's breath blew across her neck. "I want you to stand up slowly and drop your weapon," Somehow, the tone of voice didn't seem threatening, but she stood up anyway because of the knife still poised across her throat. Just as she dropped her dagger, he grabbed her wrist and restrained it behind her.

She gritted her teeth against the sharp pain, but said nothing. Her other hand hung uselessly at her side. She knew she only had one chance to free herself, so she waited until the stranger let his guard down.

"Are you from the Rebel battalion camp?" he questioned as he let his blade lightly graze her neck. When she said nothing, he pressed down just enough to cause a trickle of blood to flow. "Answer me, elf!"

It was at this moment that his grip on her arm loosened. Minami sprang into action as she tilted her head out of range of the knife and hit his arm out of the way, consequently pushing him back away from her. She quickly reached for the other dagger hidden on her thigh and held it up just in time to stop the stranger's blade from cutting her in two. Unfortunately, it became clear that his weapons of choice happened to be two long knives as his second weapon flew up to attack her unprotected side. She ducked once more and jumped backwards to escape the first blade as it swung towards her again. She swung her own dagger up at his head but he tilted it back just enough for her to miss his skin. Instead, his headband fell apart in two pieces and revealed his race.

She stared at his now-visible pointed ears. _He__must__be__one__of__those__Nuit__elves__that__the__Elders__warned__us__about._She thought to herself. Neither of them moved from their ready positions; each waiting for the other to strike. Minami shifted her gaze from his ears to his eyes and tried not to let her surprise show.

The moonlight reflected off of his deep blue eyes and Minami had the odd feeling that he was looking through her. How was it that a creature so blinded by shadow, had such beautiful eyes? Minami mentally shook her head and told herself to focus. She narrowed her eyes and tried to predict his next move.

His leg was still bleeding and she was surprised he was still standing and able to fight. He was obviously exhausted and even though it was common for all elves to have pale skin, his face was much too pasty to be normal. He wouldn't be able to last much longer; she had the advantage here.

He must have realized this too because before Minami could even blink, he was charging towards her with a blade pointed at her chest. Her quick reflexes saved her from being skewered but she still felt the sting of a blade as it sliced a shallow cut on her shoulder. She bent down and turned so she was facing his side before recklessly trying to stab him with her own dagger. He move back at the last second and only suffered a small cut on his hip.

Minami rolled to her feet and faced her foe in a battle-ready stance as the other elf shifted his weight and held his weapons in his own battle stance. Minami wrinkled her nose at the coppery smell of blood that filled the area. If she didn't hurry, the Akuma would be attracted by the smell of fresh blood and she was in no condition to fight off the wraiths now. Neither was the other elf; she noticed his stance was slightly slouched and he was breathing much more heavily than her.

Minami looked into the stranger's eyes once more and met his gaze head on. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression, but his eyes told a thousand feelings. She could tell he knew he wouldn't win this fight. His hands were trembling with the effort of holding his weapons. But Minami couldn't afford to let him win, she wouldn't give up her own life for that of an elf guided by shadow.

Suddenly, both elves felt the terrifying aura of the Akuma. The monstrous screeches followed soon after and soon a single, hideous wraith blocked the moon's rays with its ghastly black wings. The elves exchanged a glance and knew that neither wanted to die here. They had to work together if they wanted to kill the beast.

The elves gracefully leaped out of the way as the Akuma swooped down and tried to catch the source of the blood it smelled. The male elf let out a small cry as the wraith's tail crashed into his injured body and sent him flying into the shallow stream.

As the elf lifted himself into a sitting position, he met the dark, horrific gaze of the Akuma as it landed and made its way over to the helpless elf. Minami seized the opportunity and jumped towards the wraith to plunge her dagger into one of its eyes.

The dark creature let out an awful shriek as it flung its head and knocked Minami away to land on the soft moss on the bank. The other elf gathered his own strength and pierced his long knife into the wraith's deformed chest.

Minami watched as the Akuma let out one last terrible screech before falling to its side. The other elf fell to his knees once he was sure the wraith wouldn't get back up. He looked at Minami with a blank face. They both knew he wouldn't be able to fight her.

Minami was an elf of honor; she wouldn't kill a creature that couldn't fight back. She calmly stood up and walked over to where she had left her armor, his eyes following her the whole time. She picked up all of her belongings before turning to face the weakened elf. Even though he couldn't fight, she knew he would survive his wounds. After a wound was cleaned, rest was all an elf needed to heal quickly.

"The next time we meet will be on the battlefield," she steeled her voice and eyes as she looked straight into his eyes. "I will not hesitate to kill you then." He didn't say anything as he stared at her with a blank face and jaded eyes. She turned to leave when she heard his voice.

"Neither will I, rebel," his tone telling more than his words, "Neither will I."

She turned back to him, but he had already vanished, leaving nothing but the carcass of the wraith and the black cloth of his forgotten headband on the bloodstained ground.

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><p><strong>AN: ****Review, ****please?**


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